Photo by Jake McNeill: Marshall's Andrew Lee throws from the mound during a non-conference prep baseball game against Hutchinson, Monday in Marshall.

MARSHALL — After allowing a pair of late tying runs, the Marshall baseball team gutted out an extra-innings win over Hutchinson to remain undefeated on Monday night in non-conference play. Marshall overcame a late Hutchinson rally by shutting the visitors down in the eighth and ninth innings before capitalizing on a Hutchinson error for a 4-3 walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth.

Chase Alcorn started the ninth strong with a single and advanced into scoring position on an Andrew Lee sacrifice bunt. Eli Weedman then sent a hard-hit grounder to short, and an odd bounce allowed the ball to reach the outfield and Alcorn rounded third to score the game-winning run.

“We had some good at-bats. We got the leadoff guy on there, which helped, and then we were able to move him over,” Marshall manager Chace Pollock said. “We put the ball in play with Weedman, and good things happened. That was our message at the end of the game. We struck out way too much today, we’ve got to do a better job of putting the baseball in play.”

Following three scoreless innings, Marshall scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the fourth when Trae Bailey scored a leadoff double and went home on a Noah Pieper single with two outs.

The hometown Tigers further built on that lead an inning later when Chase Alcorn hit a ball into the right-field ivy for a leadoff triple. Andrew Stelter was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners and, with two outs, Bailey came up big again with a two-run triple to right field.

Bailey was one of two Tigers with multiple hits in the game, along with Alcorn’s triple and single.

Lee finished with a no-decision in his six-inning start for Marshall. After leaving two runners on when he left the seventh with no outs, Lee finished his day giving up three earned runs on six hits and a walk with nine strikeouts. He held Hutchinson to just one hit over the first five scoreless innings.

“He had all of his pitches working. His fastball, curveball, changeup were all looking really good,” Pollock said of Lee. “He just kind of ran out of gas a little bit, but I think if we’re later in the year, he’ll be able to persevere through it. Other than that, I was happy with her performance, he did a nice job.”

Noah Frazee earned the win for Marshall after tossing 2 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out four batters while allowing just one base runner, a single, before striking out each of the next two batters he faced.

Logan Phillippe took the mound for a save opportunity in the top of the seventh. He inherited runners on first and second from Lee, and he walked the first batter he faced to load the bases with no outs. He struck out one batter before Schumann lined a single into left field to plate one run, bringing the tying run 90 feet from home plate, and DeMeyer lofted a sacrifice fly into center field to tie the game up at three runs apiece.

Hutchinson broke up Lee’s shutout bid in the top of the sixth when Nathan Schumann hit a leadoff double to the left-center field wall and scored on a Howie Smith single with one out. Another single by Hayden Welsch put the tying run on base, but Lee caught one runner in a rundown on a pickoff attempt before getting the inning-ending strikeout.

Lee got off to an efficient start on the mound, striking out the first two Hutchinson batters and inducing a pop-out on the first pitch of the next at-bat to get out of the first on just 13 pitches.

Matthew Ortloff gave up three earned runs on six hits with seven strikeouts over the first five innings before being relieved by William DeMeyer to start the sixth. DeMeyer pitched one scoreless inning, and Welsch took the loss after giving up one unearned run over 2 1/3 scoreless frames.

TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM

Stelter’s bat has been a magnet for the ball over his time as a starter for the Tigers, but his shoulder has become one too so far this season. After getting hit by a pitch a team-leading five times this season, Stelter has already been hit seven times through the first seven games this year.

“I’ll never say no to a free base,” Stelter said with a laugh.

UP NEXT

The Tigers return to the turf on Tuesday, going on the road to take on New Ulm at 5:30 p.m. as they aim to pick up their eighth consecutive win to open the season.

“We’ve been playing really good defense, we’ve pitched the ball really well and we’re learning more about our team as we go along,” Pollock said. “The kids are coming out and they’re prepared, that’s a credit to them.”

Stelter added that the team’s bond and chemistry has been a big part of why they’ve gotten out to strong starts consistently after opening last season 6-0.

BATTING

A. Stelter: 0-3, BB, HBP, R, SO; T. Bailey: 2-4 (2 2B), 2 RBI; R, 2 SO; J. Vierstraete: 1-4, 2 SO; L. Maeyaert: 1-4; N. Pieper: 1-4, RBI; T. Kraft: 1-4, SO; C. Alcorn: 2-3, BB, 2 R, SO; A. Lee: 1-2, SB, SO.

PITCHING

A. Lee: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, BB, 9 SO; L. Phillippe: 0.2 IP, H, 2 BB, SO; N. Frazee: W, 2.1 IP, H, 4 SO.